I am struggling with my dentures. They make me gag. I think it is probably from the plate that I have on the upper dentures. It is so hard and I have a strong gag reflex. Is there such a thing as a soft denture?
Penny
Dear Penny,
There is such a thing as a soft liner, but that has more to do with padding the ridge on the lower jawbone for those with a bony ridge. The upper dentures need the firmness to them in order to have some structure to keep them in place. You are not the only one to struggle with the feeling on their palette. A liner isn’t really what you’re looking for though. It won’t solve your problem.
You may be better served with an implant overdenture, such as the one pictured above. These use between four to eight dental implants and then anchor your denture to them. There will be no need for the denture plate that is causing you so much grief. The implants hold the dentures in place. They’ll be completely secure. You won’t have to worry about any slipping. But, the most important benefit is how it protects your jawbone.
Once your teeth were removed, your body recognized that and immediately took action to be as efficient with your body’s resources as possible. One of the ways it does this is by resorbing the minerals in your jawbone, which it perceives you no longer need to retain teeth, and disperses them to use throughout your body. In about ten years, you will no longer have enough jawbone to even retain your dentures. This is known as facial collapse. The implants signal to your brain that you need those minerals and helps you to retain your jawbone.
This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. Fred Arnold.